Persona 4: Seeking the Truth
by VocaloidMeiko99
Summary: What if Persona 4 had a female protagonist? Yukari Narukami has moved into Inaba with her uncle and cousin only to find herself caught up with mysteries involving a mysterious TV in Junes. Will Yukari and her friends solve this mystery?
1. Introduction

_**Vroom... vroom...**_

_I hear a car driving on an empty road. Am I dreaming? What is it coming from?_

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." said a deep voice. I look up to see a bizarre-looking man with a woman dressed in blue. It looked like I was in a limo. What kind of dream is this?

"Ah... It seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny..." the man chuckled. "My name is Igor," the man said, "I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

_His nose was really long and he had a tuxedo on. Who is this man?_

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter.." Igor continued to say, "It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future."

_Near future?_

"Now then, why don't you introduce yourself?" he asked.

_Oh._ "Yukari Narukami." I introduced.

"Hm... I see." Igor said, curiously. "Now, let's take a look into your future, shall we?" he questioned.

_My future? What is my fate?_

Igor held out his hand in front of the table in front of him. A blue light flashed and there was a weird card on the table.

"Do you believe in fortune telling?" Igor asked. All of a sudden, he waved his hands and all these cards were on the table.

_What is this?_

"Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different." Igor said, deeply. Then, he chuckled, "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?"

A card flipped over.

"Hm, the Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent." Igor said, oddly. "The card indicating the future beyond that is," Igor began to say, then another card flipped over. "The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery'. Very interesting indeed." Igor finished.

_These cards... What do they mean?_

"It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you." Igor warned, "In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here. The coming year is a turning point in your destiny. If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost."

_Whoa, what will I do?_

"My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen." Igor explained. He waved his hand and all of the cards on the table disappeared. Igor then remembered something very important, "Ah! I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you. This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself."

_She's so beautiful, wow._

The woman looked towards me, "My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you through your journey." Igor looked back towards me, "We shall attend to the details another time. Until then, farewell..."

This train station is full of people. So many people who are gossiping and talking.

"Do chicks really dig politicians?" a guy asked this girl.

There were commercials of Risette everywhere and the news talked about the scandals about some Mayumi Yamano chick. I didn't really care, the news was weird.

The train started to pull in. _Okay, here we go, new life._ I thought about my last day at my new school.

"So, as most of you know, she will be transferring to another school." my homeroom teacher said.

"What?!"  
"No way!"

"Aww!"

"I will miss you!"

Students kept mumbling stuff as if I was a celebrity. I sighed. _I might miss that school. I will sure as hell miss my friends that I made._

I checked my phone. I had a messaged from my uncle.

"Meet us outside Yasoinaba Station at 4PM"

"We will arrive at the Yasogami Terminal in a few minutes," the announcer began to announce all over the train, "Passengers headed for Inaba city and Yasoinaba station, please go to the other side of the station."

_Well, that's where I need to go._ I start to grab my stuff and head out as the train stops.

_Gosh, all these train rides. I'm so tired._ I start to put my head down.

Igor.

Margeret.

I look up real fast. _Was that really a dream?_

__"Yasoinaba.." the speaker says over and over again as I get off the train.

_This town looks so peaceful. _I gazed around the town.

"Hey! Over here!" shouted a man's voice. I turned to see a little girl with a man.

"Well, you're more beautiful in person than in your photo." the man complimented, "Welcome to Inaba. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you." Dojima smiled. "Let's see, I'm your mother's younger brother, and that about sums it up." he introduced.

"It's nice to meet you." I said politely. "Heh. You probably don't remember, but we've met. I've changed your diapers before, you know." he chuckled. I laughed awkwardly.

The little girl walked in front of Dojima, "This here's my daughter. Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin."

I looked and Nanako looked very nervous. All she said was, "'lo.", blushed then walked behind Dojima. She was really shy. Dojima chuckled, "What're you so shy for?"

Just then, Nanako smacked Dojima. "Ow!" he laughed. Nanako still looked very embarrassed.

"Well then, let's get going." Dojima stated, "My car's over there."

I got in the car and headed for Dojima's house. This was going to be interesting.

This town was a nice, small town. It didn't look like much, but I liked peacefulness. We arrived at the central shopping district, and to the gas station.

A gas attendant ran out, "Hi! Welcome to Moel!"

Dojima looked towards Nanako, "Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?" he asked. "Uh-huh." Nanako replied, she got out and looked around.

"The bathroom is in the back, to your left. You know which way's left? The side you don't hold your chopsticks in." the attendant teased. "I know, geez." Nanako mumbled and headed to the bathroom.

I got out of the car to get some fresh air. The air was so clean here.

"Are you taking a trip?" The attendant asked. "No, we just went to pick her up. She just moved here from the big city." Dojima told the attendant. "The city, huh?" the attendant questioned. "Fill up my car while you're at it. Regular's fine." Dojima ordered. "Right away, sir!" the attendant exclaimed. "Good time as any for a smoke." Dojima mumbled and walked away.

"Are you in a high school?" the attendant asked. "Um, yeah." I replied. "Does it surprised a city girl to see how little there is out here? There's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs. Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part time help right now."

The attendant walked towards me, "Give it some thought why don't you? We don't mind if you're a student." The attendant and I shook hands as Nanako came running back. "Oh, I should get back to work." the attendant said and began to walk away.

I noticed Nanako was looking at me. Suddenly, I felt awful.

Nanako came up to me, "Are you okay? Did you get carsick? You don't look to good." she wondered.

_Could it have been from the exhaustion from the long trip? Now that she mentions it, I do feel a little dizzy._

Either way, we arrived at the Dojima house. _For the next year, this place will be my home. _I walked inside.

In the evening, we had sushi, it looked delicious. "All right, let's have a toast." Dojima insisted as we opened our sodas.

"So, your mom and dad are as busy as always. They're working overseas, was it?" he asked. I nodded. "I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents... It's rough being a kid." he went on, "Well, it's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having someone like you around. So long as you're here, you're part of the family, so make yourself at home." he chatted on. "Yes sir!" I answered. Dojima looked confused, "Uh, right. Are you into military stuff?" he questioned.

_Military stuff? _"Well, anyway, let's eat." he claimed.

_**Bleeep**_

_**Bleeeep**_

"Ugh, who's calling at this hour?" Dojima complained. He got out his phone and answered. "Dojima speaking. ….Mhm..." he answered as he got up, "Yeah? I see, so where is it? …...Uh huh... All right, I'm on my way." he sighed. "Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze." he mumbled. _Booze? _He shut his phone and turned to Nanako and I, "Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me." he apologized.

I looked up as Nanako stood up. "I don't know how late I'll be. Nanako, you help her out, okay?" Dojima declared. Nanako frowned, "...Okay." she replied, sadly.

Dojima began to walk out and then shouted, "Nanako, it's raining out. What did you do with the laundry?!" Nanako proceeded to shout, "I already brought it in!". "All right. Well, I'm off!" he called as Nanako and I heard the door slide shut, the car start and drive away.

Nanako sat back down and turned on the TV. "-for the week. Next, let's take a look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow's weather. With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect rain throughout the day tomorrow in most areas." the news announcer said, with enthusiasm. Nanako peered towards me, "Let's eat." she offered, quietly.

I found myself alone with Nanako. _I might want to strike up a conversation. _

"What does your dad do?" I asked Nanako. "He... investigates stuff, like crime scenes." Nanako answered calmly, "My dad's a detective."

_A detective?!_

Suddenly, an announcer came on. "And now for the local news. City council secretary Taro Namatama is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter. His wife, enka ballad sensation Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages. In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Mayumi Yamano's televised appearances. Until allegation of an affair with Mr. Namatame are resolved, she'll remain off the air and out of the public eye." the announcer continued with the news.

Nanako groaned, "This is boring." she said as she changed the channel. A commercial came on, "At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!" the commercial blissfully went on, "Every day's great at your Junes!" the singer in the commercial sang happily.

Nanako suddenly had a bright look on her face, "Every day's great at your Junes!" she sang cheerfully. She suddenly stopped and looked at me, "Aren't you going to eat?" she asked calmly.

_Oh, that's right._ I hurried to eat the food.

After dinner, I went up into my new room. I felt so exhausted. I looked over, the futon has been prepared. I decided to get some rest.

_I'll be living in this town for one year, starting today. I wonder if everything will be all right. School starts tomorrow, I should stop thinking and go to sleep._

I look up and see I'm somewhere.

_..? What is this?! This area is covered in a really thick fog. I don't know what to do, but I'll proceed forward._

I start running forward, and all I see is fog. Fog, more fog and more fog. There's nothing here. I didn't hear anything, all I could see was fog.

Suddenly, a voice started ringing. "Do you seek the truth..?" the voice questioned. I kept running, but I didn't see anyone, and the fog did not clear up. "If it's truth you desire, come and find me.." the voice rang again.

_That voice came from up ahead._

I continued to run and then I saw a door. I sensed someone beyond the door. Naturally, I proceeded forward, letting curiosity get the best of me.

I found myself with a sword. I barely made out a silhouette in the fog.

"So, you are the one pursuing me. Hmhmhm, try all you like." the silhouette mocked.

I went up to the silhouette, barely seeing it, and slashed it with my sword.

"Hmmm, it seems that you can see a little, despite the fog." the silhouette hypothesized.

A card similar to the one I saw at the Velvet Room floated towards my hand, I squeezed it, something came out and shocked the silhouette with lightning.

"I see. Indeed, you possess an interesting quality." the silhouette congratulated.

Another card floated in my hand, I squeezed this one, the same thing came out but this time, cleaved the silhouette with something.

_This damn fog._

"But, you will not catch me so easily. If what you seek is "truth," then your search will be even harder." the silhouette hissed. Suddenly, the fog got thicker and I could not see anything.

_What the hell?!_

I had yet another card, and when I squeezed it, I suddenly felt more defensible.

"Everyone sees what they want to.. And the fog only deepens." sneered the silhouette, which I couldn't see anymore.

I couldn't take it anymore. I ran out and slashed my sword but I hit nothing.

"Will we meet again? At a place other than here, hmhm, I look forward to it." the voice echoed.

Suddenly, I felt I was losing consciousness.

_**To Be Continued**_


	2. Chapter 1: First Day of School

**April 12, 2011**

**Forecast: Rainy and cloudy**

_**Knock knock knock**_

"Breakfast's ready." I heard Nanako say.

_Ugh, I have to get up. _I felt like I had a nightmare. _What could it have been about? Oh well, school starts today so I should head to the living room._

I head downstairs to see Nanako setting the table for breakfast. "Good morning." she greeted. I sat down. The toast, the eggs, the bacon, oh wow. It looked good. "Okay, let's eat!" Nanako declared. "Did your father go to work?" I asked. "There was some kind of trouble. He won't be back." Nanako said, disappointed. "You're starting school today, right? My school's on the way, so, let's go together." Nanako smiled, however, she still seemed restless.

After breakfast, Nanako and I started to head to school. We arrived at the Flood plain and we stopped. "You keep going straight from here. My school's this way. Bye!" she shouted, smiling as she walked away.

I was at the intersection by the school when I saw a guy with orange hair trying to ride his bike and hold his umbrella at the same time.

"Whooooaaa!" the biking student shouted and he crashed into a pole. He started to groan in pain.

_That DID look painful. I should leave him be._

I arrived at the school. _What kind of life awaits me here? _I decided to head on inside.

There was chatter everywhere.

"Talk about bad luck. The homeroom teacher is Morooka, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's King Moron alright. We get to enjoy his long-ass sermons every day for a whole year."

"Hey you guys, I heard there's going to be a transfer student from the city in this class."

"Huh? Really? A guy or a girl?"

"A transfer student from the city, just like you, huh, Yosuke?" a short-haired girl asked. She looked at him, "Huh? You look dead today."

"Yeah, um, I don't wanna talk about it." he said. "What with him?" the short-haired girl asked a black-haired girl. "Who knows?" the black-haired girl said.

I walked in with Mr. Morooka, I knew this teacher was trouble.

"Awright, shut your traps! I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I'm around, you student are going to be pure as the drive snow!" Mr. Morooka shouted as the class looked very dull. "Now I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student. This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage..."

_You've got to be kidding me._

"And she's just as much of a loser here as she was there, so you boys better not get any ideas about hitting on her! Tell 'em your name, kid, and make it quick." Mr. Morooka scolded.

_I've had enough of this asshole._

"...You calling me a loser?" I barked. Suddenly, I felt more courageous.

The class's eyes widened. "Hrnh, that's it, you're on my shit list, effective immediately. Now listen up! This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting involved with the boys here, let alone abusing them! But what do I know, it's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on those damn phones, checking your life-journals and your my-places..."

Mr. Morooka goes on and on...

_So sick of this guy already._

A short-haired girl raised her hand, "Excuse me! Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?" she asked politely.

"Huh? Yeah, sure. Hear that? Your seat's over there. So hurry up and siddown already!" Mr. Morooka shouted. I sighed and started to walk over to my new seat. The short-haired girl turned to me, "He's the worst, huh? Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class. Well, we'll just have to hang in there for a year." she whispered quietly to me.

The people around me started talking about me.

"Sucks to be the transfer student, ending up in King Moron's class on the first morning here."

"Yeah, he won't think twice about suspending you if you get on his bad side. Then again, we're all in the same boat."

"Shut your traps! I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!" Mr. Morooka growled.

_So, my life at this new school has begun. Will I be able to fit in here?_

_**AFTER SCHOOL**_

"That's all for today. Normal lectures will start tomorrow." Mr. Morooka boomed. Suddenly the school intercom came on.

"Attention, all teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice."

"Hrnh, you heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise." Mr. Morooka snapped.

"He's seriously getting on my nerves" a girl groaned.

Suddenly, there were sirens coming from outside.

Boys ran to the window to look out. "Did something happen? Don't those sirens sound really close? Ugh, I can't see a damn thing. Frickin' fog.." an excited student said. "Yeah, like every time it rains lately, it gets all foggy." another student marveled. "Hey, did you hear? I hear the paparazzi's looking all over for that announcer." a knowledgeable student asked. "Oh yeah. You mean Mayumi Yamano, right? I heard some guys spotted her at the shopping district." the other student chattered. "Actually, I heard that..." the knowledgeable student said something that I couldn't hear. "Are you serious?!" the other student cried out, and he started to walk to the black-haired girl.

"H-Hey, Yukiko-san. Mind if I ask you something? Is it true that announcer's staying at your family's inn?" the student asked her. "I can't discuss such things." she replied calmly. "Y-Yeah, I guess not." the student stuttered as he ran off. The short-haired girl walked up to her and sighed, "Sheesh, how much longer is this going to take?" she moaned. "There's no telling." the black-haired girl smiled. "I shoulda left before the announcement came on.." the short-haired girl sighed, "By the way, didja try what I told you the other day?" she asked the black-haired girl but she looked confused. "You know, that thing about rainy nights!" the short-haired girl said. "Oh, no, not yet. Sorry." she apologized. "Ahh, that's okay. Well, it's just, I heard a guy in the class next door yell something like his soul mate is Yamano, the announcer!" she mocked and then the intercom came on.

"Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat."

"Incident?!" a student shouted, confused.

"What, something actually happened?"

"C'mon, let's go take a look!"

The short-haired girl and the black-haired girl came up to me. "Hey, are you going home by yourself? Why don't you come with us? Oh, nearly forgot! I'm Chie Satonaka. You know I sit next to you, right?"

Jokingly, I said, "You do?"

"Dude, I was sitting right next to you! I even talked to you!" Chie groaned and then she remembered, "Anyways, this is Yukiko Amagi." she introduced. "Oh, nice to meet you. I'm sorry that this is so sudden." Yukiko mumbled. "C'mon, don't apologize like that. It makes me look like I got no upbringing. I just wanted to ask some stuff. Really, that's all." Chie stated. Suddenly, the orange haired kid, looking very bleak, came up to us.

"Uh, umm, Miss Satonaka? This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to see." he murmured and Chie looked confused. "And, I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please just have mercy until my next paycheck!" he apologized, bowing down, and holding a DVD in his hands. Chie took the DVD hesitantly. "Seeya thanks!" he said really quickly. "Stop right there! What did you do to my DVD!?" Chie shouted.

_**BAM**_

"Argh!" I heard the guy shout. Chie opened the DVD case and gasped. "What the!? I can't believe this! It is completely cracked! My Trial of the Dragon!" she groaned. "I think mine's cracked too. C-Critical hit to the nads." the guy stuttered in pain. "A-Are you all right?" Yukiko asked, concerned. "Oh, Yukiko-san, are you worried about me?" he asked, sounding like he was in less pain. "He's fine, Yukiko. Let's ditch him and go home." Chie snapped as she put the DVD in her backpack. I starred at the guy.

_He looks like he's in a lot of pain.. I should probably leave him be._

I was walking out of school with Chie and Yukiko when a strange student who had a different school uniform came up to us.

"You're Yuki, right? Y-You want to go hang out somewhere?" he asked. "What..? Wh-Who are you?" Yukiko asked, really confused. A couple of students came by. "What's up with him? What school's he from?" one of them asked. "Never mind that, he going for Yukiko-san? Man, you'd think he'd at least wait until she's alone to make his move" the other student commented. "I bet you a can of TaP he gets knocked out." the student joked. "No bet. Haven't you heard how difficult the Amagi Challenge is?" the other student protested.

"Um, s-so, are you coming or not?" the strange student asked. "I-I'm not going." Yukiko stuttered. "FINE!" the strange student sneered as he ran off. "Wh-What did he want from me?" Yukiko questioned. "What did he want? Obviously, he was asking you out on a date!" Chie blurted. "Huh? Really?" Yukiko muttered. "You really had no clue? Sheesh. But then again, that was way over the top. It was creepy how he called you Yuki all of a sudden." Chie sighed.

The same guy from earlier came by with his bike, "Yo, Yukiko-san. Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you're cruel. You got me the same way last year." he said coolly. "I don't recall doing that." Yukiko said, innocently. "Whoa, you serious? So then, you wanna hang out sometime!?" he winked. "I'd rather not." Yukiko rejected calmly. "That'll teach me to get my hopes up. Anyways, you two better not pick on the transfer student too much." he smiled as he rode his bike away. "We're just curious, is all!" Chie shouted. "U-Um, I'm sorry for dragging you into this." Yukiko apologized and I nodded.

Then, all of these students suddenly gathered around. "C'mon, let's go. Everybody is staring!" Chie shouted anxiously. We all began walking home.

"Ah, so you came here because of your parents' job. Haha, I thought it was something way more serious." Chie chuckled when I told her why I transferred here. "There really is nothing here, huh? That is what makes it nice, but there's nothing much we can show to people from outside. Oh! Though there is something from Mt. Yasogami, I think our dyed clothes or pottery or something is kinda famous. Oh wait, there's the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it! It's the pride of Inaba!" Chie declared. "Huh? It's just an old inn." Yukiko claimed. "Oh, no way, it's been in all sorta magazines as a hidden treasure!" Chie smiled. "It's a great inn! It's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take over someday. The inn actually attracts a lot of visiters to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going." Chie beamed. "I don't think that's entirely true." Yukiko objected. "What's interesting about Yukiko is that she's really popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?" Chie asked. "C-Come on, stop it. Y-You shouldn't believe that, okay? It's not true that I'm popular or that I've never had a boyfriend! Wait, no! Wh-What I meant to say was, I don't need a boyfriend! Geez, Chie!" Yukiko stuttered, with a surprised look on her face. Chie and I just giggled. "Hahaha! Sorry, sorry. But this is out chance to talk to somebody from the big city, and you barely said a word!" Chie laughed, but then she looked up and had a surprised look on her face, "Hey, what's that?"

We saw up ahead a crowd of women and police. I heard these women gossiping.

"So that high schooler left school early, and as she came down this street.."

"Wow. Who could imagine THAT hanging from an antenna?"

"I wanted to see it too."

"Uh, you got here too late. The police and fire department took it down just a moment ago."

"Well, I think it's terrifying. I can't believe a dead body showed up around here."

Chie, Yukiko and I looked at each other. "Wait, what did she just say? A dead body?!" Chie cried. Suddenly, I heard footsteps and Dojima was walking towards me.

_Oh crap._

"Hey, what're you doing here?" Dojima asked. "Did something happen?" I questioned. "Well, you could say that. That damn principal. We told him not to let them through here." Dojima cursed. Chie looked at me, "You know this guy?" she asked and I nodded. "I'm Detective Dojima, her guardian. Uh, well, how should I say this? I hope you get along with her." he blurted bashfully. Then he got to the point, "But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home." he scolded and started to walk away.

A strange, young man all of a sudden ran past us with a sick look on his face. "Ngh, uuuuurgh!" he groaned out in pain. He must have thrown up. "Adachi! How long are you going to act like a rookie? You want to be sent back to the central office!?" Dojima yelled angrily. "I-I'm sorry, nngh." the young man moaned out. "Go wash your face. We're going go around and gather information!" Dojima sighed impatiently, and walked away as the young man scurried to follow.

"Was this what that announcement was about?" Chie gasped curiously. "What do they mean, it was hanging from the antenna?" Yukiko wondered. Chie turned to Yukiko, "Hey, Yukiko? Why don't we go to Junes some other time?" Chie offered. "Good idea." Yukiko nodded. Chie turned back to me, "Alright then, we're taking off. Starting tomorrow, neighbor, let's do our best!" Chie cheered. "Yes!" I said as we said our goodbyes. I then proceeded to head straight home.

_**EVENING**_

I was watching TV with Nanako as we drank tea. She started looking around the table. "I wonder if Dad's not coming home again tonight." Nanako frowned. Suddenly, a news announcer came on.

"Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb. Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba..."

My eyes widened. The School Zone was being shown on the news. _Could this be the incident I heard about?_

The announcer continued with the story, "The deceased has been identified as Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year-old announcer at the local television station. The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's investigation have revealed-"

Nanako gasped, "Ah! The Inaba Police Department! Th-That's where Dad works!" she shouted then she looked afraid. "It'll be all right." I said comfortably to her. "I know. That's his job, so this stuff happens." she responded but still looked a little afraid.

"The body was found hanging from a large television antenna atop a local resident's roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death is an accident or a homicide. A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvass the area are delayed until tomorrow." the announcer finally finished the report.

_It seems that the local TV station's announcer was found dead near the Yasogami High School campus. The announcer, Mayumi Yamano, her affair with a local councilman's secretary had been on the news just the other day._

"They found her on the roof? That's scary." Nanako whimpered. Suddenly, a Junes commercial popped onto the television. "Oh, it's Junes!" Nanako squealed. "At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!" the commercial shouted enthusiastically. "Every day's great at your Junes!" the singer sang gleefully. "Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang cheerfully. Nanako suddenly looks at me expectantly. "Your Junes!" I sang sweetly. "You memorized it already? I'm the best one in my class!" Nanako giggled. She began to sing the song to herself over and over again. _Looks like she's forgotten all about the scary story._

I was tired from adapting to my new environment, so I decided to rest in my room.

_**To be Continued**_


	3. Chapter 2: The Midnight Channel

**April 13, 2011**

**Forecast: Cloudy**

**__****Early Morning**

**I was walking to school when I saw the same orange-haired guy from yesterday ride his bike. He crashed and fell into a trash can. I walked up to him rolling around in the trash can. "S-Someone.." he groaned as he rolled around in the trash can.**

**_Maybe I should help him._**

**I helped him out of the trash can. "Whew, you saved me. Thanks! Um, oh yeah, that's right. You're that transfer student, Yukari Narukami. I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya." he winked. I blushed, "Is your bike okay?" I asked jokingly. "My bike? What about me!?" he whined. I laughed.**

**_He seems to be all right._**

"Say, did you hear about the incident from yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna! You think it was some kinda warning? There's no way something that weird could've been an accident." he muttered. "You might be right." I replied. "Dangling a dead body over a roof like that, that's just messed up. Then again, it's pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place." he stammered. He looked down at his watch then shot his head up at me, "Oh crap, we're late! You wanna ride? It's a little squeaky, but it should be fine." he offered as I snickered.

_**Morning**_

Class was hell, as usual. "Be quiet, you idiots! You guys ARE in high school, aren't you!? Can't you shut up during class? Don't you have any common sense? First of all, my hob is to waste my precious time teaching you assholes philosophy! And since I'm so nice, I'll straighten up your rotten attitudes while I'm at it! Aren't you honored!? And I'll be going especially hard on any of you morons that're curious about the murder! Got it!? Now get your books out!" Mr. Morooka lectured to the class. Even though his lectures were annoying, I still listened intently, and surprisingly, I felt smarter.

_**After School**_

Finally, class was over. Yosuke stretched and walked up to my desk, "So, you getting used to this place?" he asked. "Yeah." I smiled and nodded. "Wow, that was fast." he complimented, "There isn't much to do here compared to the big city, but there is that certain something you can't get anywhere else. The air's clean, the food's great, oh, you know about the local delicacy? It's grilled steak, man! Like that's anything special, huh? I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it's on me." he offered.

_Grilled steak? Sounds delicious._

However, Chie came up to Yosuke, "What about me, huh? No apologies? My 'Trial of the Dragon'." she reminded Yosuke. Yosuke suddenly looked nervous, "You always come around when I'm talking about food." he groaned. "How about it, Yukiko? Don't you think he should treat us, too?" Chie asked, turning to Yukiko. "I'll pass, I don't want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn today anyway." Yukiko muttered. "Wow, Yukiko-san! You started training to take over the business?" Yosuke asked. "It's not like that! I'm just helped out when it gets busy. Well, I should be on my way." she explained. Yukiko leaves the classroom calmly.

"Oh well. We should get going too." Chie declared. "Huh? Do I seriously have to treat two girls?" Yosuke moaned.

Yosuke took Chie and me to the food court at Junes. I didn't mind considering I was being treated to food, but Chie wasn't happy. "THIS is the cheap place you were talking about? They don't have grilled steak here." Chie growled. Yosuke sat down with us at the table, "Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans." Yosuke replied. "Still, that's no reason to take us to your place." Chie snapped. "Dude, this isn't my place or anything." Yosuke answered back swiftly. I was confused at this matter. _His place? _Yosuke must have saw my confused facial expression. "Oh, right. I haven't told you yet, huh? I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it. So our entire family came out here." Yosuke explained. He looked at the soft drinks on the tray. "Here, this is to welcome you to town." he said as he took his soft drink. "Wow, thanks!" I said as I took my soft drink. "Satonaka, yours is on me too." Yosuke said to Chie. "Yeah, I know." she replied as she took her soft drink. We toasted and slurped our drinks. Our conversation became animated over small talk.

"It's only been half a year since this place opened up, but I haven't been to the local shopping district much since. A lot of stores there started closing, and oh, uh.." Chie stopped herself from talking. "You can't balme it all on Junes, can you?" Yosuke sighed. I was pretty confused but I let it slide. All of a sudden, a strange girl sat at a table near us. Yosuke's face beamed, "Hey, it's Saki-senpai! Sorry, be right back." he stammered. "Is she Yosuke's girlfriend?" I asked Chie curiously. "He wishes!" she giggled. Yosuke got up and started to go to Saki. "Oh, that's Saki Konishi. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district. I think she's working here part-time though." Chie explained to me. _Saki Konishi?_

"Hey, how's it going? You look beat." Yosuke greeted Saki. "Hey! I'm finally on break. What's up, Hana-chan? Boosting the family business by bring your friends here?" Saki asked Yosuke. "Madam, you wound me!" Yosuke joked, dramatically, "Kidding aside, you look down. Did something happen?" he asked, worried. "It's nothing. I'm just a little tired." Saki yawned. "Hey, if you need to talk, I'm always willing to listen, I-" Yosuke started to say before Saki cut him off. "I'm okay. Thanks, though." she chuckled, "Why'd I leave school early yesterday?" Saki mumbled under her breath, which confused Yosuke.

Saki's head shot up when she saw me, "Hey, is she the kid who transferred here?" she got up and started walking towards me. "Are you the transfer student? Oh, did you hear about me already?" Saki giggled, "It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh? I don't see Hana-chan hanging out with other people so much." Saki continued. "N-Not necessarily." he muttered. "He doesn't have too many friends, so I hope you two get along good. Hana-chan's a good guy, but he can get nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you." Saki snickers. "Yeah, he's annoying" I giggled, jokingly. "Ahaha!" Saki chuckled. "All right, break it up. You're kinda getting on my nerves." Yosuke muttered. "Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go, laters!" Saki remembered then left back to work. "Oh, uh, Senpai!" Yosuke called Saki but she didn't hear him.

"Saki-senpai says I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me." Yosuke laughed, "She has a younger brother, and she treats me pretty much the same way." he said. "Ooh, you don't want her treating you like a brother, huh? Oh, I get it. So that's how it is." Chie retorted, "The daughter of a local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain, the flame of forbidden love!" Chie joked. "Wha-!? Dude, it's not like that" Yosuke blushed. "Oh reaaally? Well, I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart. You ever hear about the Midnight Channel? You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen, and they say that person's your soul mate." Chie explained with a smile on her face. "What? For a second, I thought you were actually going to say something useful." Yosuke scoffed and I laughed, "How can you get all excited over such a childish urban legend like that?" Yosuke grunted. "Childish, huh? You don't believe it, do you!?" Chie yelled fiercely. "Of course, I don't." Yosuke answers. "Well, it's raining tonight! Let's all try it out, then you'll see!" Chie volunteered. "Chie, this rumor is kind of weird, I doubt it will work." I told her. "Try it out? Wait, you haven't even tried it yourself!?" Yosuke exclaimed, "Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid." Yosuke ended. He turned to me, "All that aside, you know that incident yesterday? You guys think it was murder?" he asked, "Ooh, what if the culprit behind it was still lurking around?" Yosuke smirked. "Sheesh, you shouldn't joke about stuff like that. NOW who's the childish one?" Chie retorted, "All I am saying is, you guys better try it out tonight." Chie declared.

_I now have heard the rumor about the Midnight Channel, where one can see one's soul mate on a rainy night. Maybe I should try it out tonight._

_**Evening**_

I came home to a house only with Nanako. Dinner looked delicous as Nanako and I ate. She sighed, looking upset.

_Another dinner alone with Nanako.._

"Did your father call?" I asked. "No, he always says he will." she sighed. Suddenly, the door slid open. Nanako looked up, "Oh! He's home!" she exclaimed excitedly. Dojima walked in, looking exhausted. "What a day." he groaned, "I'm back. Did anything happen while I was out?" he asked. "No, you're late again." Nanako whined. "I'm sorry, been busy at work." Dojima apologized as he sat down on the couch. "Can you put the news on for me?" he pleaded. Nanako sighed and flipped the channel to the News. An announcer came on.

"Next, more details in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba. Announcer Mayumi Yamano's dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Ms. Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of enka singer Misuzu Hiiragi."

_It's just a follow-up report about the incident yesterday. Apparently, when Ms. Yamano was alive, she was having an affair with Mr. Namatame who was married to Misuzu Hiiragi. Could the incident be tied to their lover's quarrel?_

"The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them. In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano's body."

Dojima sighed, "An interview with the kid? Where the hell did they find her?" he yawned.

"What went through your mind when you saw it? Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?" the reporter asked enthusiastically. "U-Umm..." the female student stuttered. Her face was blurred out and her voice was indistinct.

_I've seen her before somewhere..._

"Don't you think it's scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?" the reporter questioned in a spooky voice. "Huh? She was killed?" the student questioned surprisingly. "Oh, err, so did you see anyone suspicious around here?" the reporter asked awkwardly. "No, not really." the student answered. "We heard that you found it when you left school early. Did you have some personal business to take care of?" the reporter asked. "Huh? That's.." the student stuttered.

_The reporter's enthusiasm seems to be perplexing her. Hmm, she reminds me of Saki Konishi._

The announcer came back on the television while I was thinking.

"-A tragedy that occurred near the local shopping district. Many storeowners are raising concerns about losing customers as a result." the announcer read.

Dojima grunted, "If they lose more customers, it'll be because you're making such a stink about it." Dojima muttered.

A commentator came on, "It really is a bizarre case, isn't it? I mean, hanging someone upside down from an antenna. I'd have to say it's a warning or a sign from the culprit." the commentator answered. "Yes, but so far, no one has come forward to take credit for the crime." the announcer replied.

"Loads of prank calls, though." Dojima yawned.

"So the cause of death I still unknown? And they don't have a single suspect yet?" the commentator asked, "Taxpayers' funds are going to a police force who can't even figure out if this is an accident or a homicide?" he questioned annoyingly.

Dojima grunted at the comment.

"We'll be right back after these messages." and the news went to a Junes commercial. "At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!" the commercial sounded really happy yet again, "Every day's great at your Junes!" the singer sang. "Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang. "Hey Dad, can we go to Junes together sometime?" Nanako asked only to be replied with Dojima snoring. "No?" she asked only to see he fell asleep. "Geez." Nanako sighed.

After dinner, I remembered something.

_It's raining tonight. I promised Chie I would try out the rumor about the Midnight Channel._

With that promise being made, I decided to try it.

Later that night, I could hear it raining outside, while waiting for it to be midnight. It's almost midnight.

"_Your soul mate appears if you look into a TV on a rainy night" Could it be true?_

It continued to rain as I stared into my TV waiting for something to happen.

Nothing.

_I knew it._

I turned away only to hear the TV fuzzing.

_What the hell?_

Blurry images of a girl began to appear as the TV continued to fuzz.

_**FLASH**_

Lightning clapped as a voice began ringing in my head.

"I am thou and thou art I. Thou are the one, that opens the door."

I held my head as more lightning flashed. The voices stopped. I looked up to see my TV which stopped fuzzing.

_What just happened?_

I poked my TV and then it was like a drop fell into water. There were waves everywhere. I stuck my hand in only to realize it was getting sucked in

"AAAH!" I grunted as I tried to pull my hand out. My head and my arm were stuck in the TV! I pulled and pulled, and finally, I fell back on my table.

"Owww..." I moaned, holding my head. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Are you okay?" Nanako called out. "I'm okay." I replied. "Okay, well, good night." Nanako replied as I heard her return to her room.

What just happened? I should probably tell Chie and Yosuke tomorrow.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	4. Chapter 3: The TV World

**April 14, 2011**

**Forecast: Rainy**

_**Morning**_

I got to one of my classes to see a teacher with a very world cultural attire. "Hello everyone. My name is Kimiko Sofue, and I don't know how much you know about world history, but I'm an expert." she explained, "First, a little about me. I love to use my dowser to look for lost items and there's nothing quite like a romance. In fact, world history is a magnificent romance. History is like a river; it was born in the past and flows ever forward. I hope we can all enjoy the profundity of history together. Hohoho." she chorused, "And since this is my first lecture, I'll start with an easy question." she said, "Our transferee, Ms. Narukami, please stand up." she ordered.

_Oh shoot, that's me._

I stood up quickly. "When did A.D., in other words, Anno Domini, begin?" she asked, "When humans were born, when Jesus was born, or when a nation was founded?"

I thought about it for a second. When humans were born and when a nation was founded made no sense. "When Jesus was born." I answered.

"Ah, you seem to understand this well. And does anyone know what B.C. Stands for? Oh, I'll just tell you. Before Christ, or the years before Christ was born. This is, of course, the way we count our years today, but it wasn't adopted in Western Europe until the 15th century. Hohoho, it was around that time that there were many religious wars and power shifts occurring..."

She went on and on about history as I stood there, feeling proud of myself.

_I gave the correct answer! I feel smarter!_

_**After School**_

I was packing up my stuff as I heard many students gossip about the murder around me.

"What's up with the body being hung upside-down? That's so freaky!"

"Is it supposed to be like, mimicking an execution? It's messed up."

"My senpai told me it was a third-year named Saki who found the body."

I must have busy listening because I didn't hear Yosuke walk up to my desk.

"Y-Yo. Um.." Yosuke hesitated. _What does he want? He's stuttering so much._

"It's, uh, it's not really that important, but well, yesterday on TV, I.." he hesitated again, "Oh, uh, never mind. Look, I'll tell you later." he laughed nervously. Chie came up to us, "Yosuke, did you hear the rumor? Saki-senpai's supposedly the one who discovered that body." she explained anxiously. "I wonder if that's why she looked so down. She doesn't seem to be at school today either." he sighed sadly.

Yukiko got up and Chie called, "Hey Yukiko, are you helping out at the inn today too?"

Yukiko turned to us, "Things are really out of hand right now, I'm sorry." she apologized and walked away.

"Is it just me, or does Yukiko-san seem way stressed out today?" Yosuke suggested suspiciously. "I guess they're running her ragged," Chie sighed.

Then she shot her head up, "By the way, did you see 'it' last night?" she questioned excitedly.

"Huh? Uh, well, what about you?" Yosuke stammered nervously.

"I did! I seriously saw a girl!" Chie squeaked dreadfully, "But my soul mate's a girl? What's that supposed to mean?" Chie puzzled questionably, "I couldn't quite tell who it was, but it was a girl for sure," she said, "Her hair was brown, about shoulder length. She was wearing out school uniform, and," Chie listed before getting interrupted.

"Hey, I think that's the same person I saw," Yosuke remembered, "I couldn't make out that much detail, though. The image I saw was much blurrier," Yosuke finished.

"Wait, so you saw it too!?" Chie hollered curiously, "And we saw the same girl? Does that mean we have the same soul mate?" she hypothesized.

"How should I know?" Yosuke questioned, then he turned to me, "How 'bout you? Did you see it?" he asked me.

I nodded, "I saw the same image as you guys and I was hearing strange voices in my head. Only when it went away, I touched the screen and got sucked into my TV! I got stuck in it because my TV is tiny but I eventually fell out." I explained.

"It sounds like we all saw the same person." Yosuke concluded, "But weird voices aside, what was that about getting sucked into your TV?" he snickered, "Were you that tired last night? You must've just fallen asleep in front of your TV!" he smiled.

"That'd be one interesting dream, though," Chie added, "I like the part where you got stuck 'cause your TV was too small. That's pretty realistic. Well, if it had been bigger, the," Chie started to say before remembering something, "Oh, that reminds me. Our family's been talking about buying a bigger TV." Chie marveled.

"Oh yeah? Well, flatscreen TVs are definitely in these days. Wanna go check 'em out on the way back? We're beefing up our electronics department this month." Yosuke offered.

"Oh, definitely! My parents don't know anything about electronics, and I've just gotta see my kung-fu movies on the big screen!" Chie cheered, "Hwa-taaaa!" she imitated what looked like Bruce Lee, almost.

Yosuke looked at me, "We've got some pretty big ones in stock. I bet they'd be big enough for you to fit into." he giggled as I glared at him.

_They don't believe me at all. Oh, well, I'll just go to Junes with them._

_Junes, Electronics department_

I looked at flatscreens with Chie and Yosuke. We came across this one that Chie really liked.

"Wow, this is huge! And, holy crap, it's expensive! Who buys something like this?" she questioned adventurously.

"I dunno, rich folks?" Yosuke answered obviously, "Honestly, not many people shop for TVs here. That's why we don't have clerks around." he stated.

"Huh, not worth trying then, I guess. Well, at least looking's free." Chie reassured.

Chie and Yosuke both strolled up to the TV and pushed on it lightly.

"Nope, can't get in. Figures." Yosuke said as I growled at them.

"This proves it. It was all just a dream." Chie declared blissfully.

"Besides, these flat-screen TVs are so thin, you'd just end up on the other side." Yosuke noted knowledgeably, "What am I saying?!" he croaked. "So, Chie. What kind of TV are you guys in market for?" he asked.

"Oh, they said they wanted one that's cheap. You got any suggestions?"

"Well, Miss, might I suggest this one over here? It's the newest model, just released this spring." Yosuke said deeply, trying to sound like some announcer.

"Wha, that's not cheap at all! There's way too many zeroes!"

"I should've asked what you meant by 'cheap' right off the bat." Yosuke sighed.

"You've got connections, right? C'mon, hook me up!"

"You know I can't do that." Yosuke groaned, "Hey about this one over here? It's a display unit and it's a little old, but.." Yosuke explained to Chie

_Was it really a dream?_

I thought to myself as I stared at the TV in front of me.

_With a TV this big, I really might be able to go inside._

I walked up to it, pressed my hand on the screen and my hand went through.

_Oh shit! It WASN'T a dream!_

"Oh yeah, Yukari, what kind of TV so you.." Yosuke began to ask me until he saw my state.

"Huh? Something wrong, Yosuke?" Chie asked, then she turned to look at me and her face paled.

"I-Is her arm in the TV?" Yosuke stuttered confusedly.

"Whoa, uh, is that some kinda new model? L-Like with a new function?" she laughed nervously.

"Hell no!"

They ran up to me while my hand was still stuck in the TV.

"You gotta be kidding me. Did you really stick your hand through the screen?" Chie squeaked nervously.

"Oh man, this is for real! That's some magic trick, man!" Yosuke wailed worriedly, "So how's it work, huh!? What's the magician's secret!?" he questioned nervously.

I looked to see they were staring at me, astonished.

_I might be able to put in more than just my arm._

I pulled out my hand and stuck my head in the TV.

"H-Hey, don't do that! What're you doing!?" Yosuke panicked.

"Oh my God!" Chie screamed.

_There's empty space inside._

"There's empty space! There's not much inside!" I called out.

"Wh-What do you mean, 'inside'!?" Yosuke panicked some more.

"Wh-What do you mean, 'empty space'!?" Chie squeaked.

"It's very spacious in here." I explained.

"Wh-What do you mean, 'spacious'!?" Yosuke shrieked.

"I mean, what's going on!?" Chie asked nervously.

"Holy crap, I-I think this is all too much for my bladder." Yosuke stammered.

"What the-? Are you gonna pee your pants!?" Chie panicked.

"I've been holding it in all day! I-I haven't had a chance to go." Yosuke explained in pain, "Aaargh! Can't... hold it... anymore!" he screamed as he ran off and then he came back, "Shit! Customers! They're coming!" he panicked.

"What!? But we've got a guy half stuck in a TV here!" Chie screamed, "Wh-What're we gonna do!?" she boomed tremendously.

I heard them run around as they panicked and then they ran into me and we all got pushed in.

"What the!? W-Wai-WHOA!" Yosuke screamed.

We landed in the middle of nowhere and it was super foggy.

"Ow, I landed right on my wallet!" Yosuke complained.

"Man, where the heck are we?" Chie gasped as I got up, "What is this place?" she asked.

It was super foggy and it looked very yellow. I could barely see Chie and Yosuke.

"Is this someplace inside Junes?" Chie asked Yosuke.

"Hell no, it isn't! I mean, we fell through a TV!" Yosuke exclaimed, "Actually, uh, what is going on here?" Yosuke asked as we all looked at our surroundings.

"Haa, so, uh, we're still alive, right?" Chie asked.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked. **(Understanding increased)**

"I think my butt's cracked now." Yosuke grunted.

"Of course it is!" Chie groaned.

"Whoa!" Yosuke gasped.

"Wh-What now!? Did you wet your pants!?" Chie asked disgustedly.

"No, stupid! Look around!" Yosuke shouted.

Chie and I looked around to see the place we were in looked like a giant studio.

"Is this a studio?" Chie questioned, "All this fog, or is it smoke? There's not place like this in Inaba, is there?"

"Hell no, but man, this place is huge." Yosuke echoed.  
"What're we gonna do?" Chie panicked.

"Let's go home." I offered.

"G-Good plan!" Chie accepted, "Look we need to get home and-huh?" she looked around and turned back to us, "Wait a minute, which way did we come in from?" she asked, "I don't see a way in or out!" she cried.

"What? That can't be right! H-How could that be!?" Yosuke shouted.

"I don't know! Don't ask me!" she jeered, "I can't take this anymore! I wanna go home!" she whined.

"Okay, so how!?" Yosuke growled.

"We're doomed." I groaned.

"Wh-What!? Don't say stuff like that! Let's calm down and think about this." Yosuke offered, "Alright, so we need to find a way out." he explained.

"Is there really a way outta here?" Chie questioned without hope.

"We got in, so we must be able to get out somehow." Yosuke insisted.

"That true, but-" Chie stopped and looked down.

"If there's not exit, we're trapped, so let's cross our fingers and look around." he declared.

We walked around looking for an exit and we found this open door.

"What is this place? It feels different from where we were before." Chie acknowledged.

"It looks like we're in some kinda building, but damn, this fog's so think, I can hardly see." Yosuke pointed out.

"Are you sure we're not wandering farther away?" Chie added.

"I can't be positive, but we're gotta trust our instinct a little." Yosuke answered.

"I know, but.." Chie groaned.

"We have no other choice though." I answered sadly.

We slowly walked towards the open door.

We walked into what looked like an apartment room or something.

"Hey, is it me or is the fog lighter here?" Yosuke asked and he brought out his cell phone, "No service. What a surprise." he groaned.

"Can't you guys slow down a little? It's hard enough to see where you're going." Chie groaned and she looked around the room. "Huh? What the!?" she gasped.

The room was filled with posters of a woman with her face torn out and with red paint or blood smeared everywhere but no exit.

"It's a dead end! There's no exit!" Chie panicked.

"It keeps getting creepier and creepier the further we go." Yosuke added and then he panicked, "Aargh! I can't hold it any longer! My bladder's gonna explode!" he screamed as he ran to the corner.

_**ZIIIP**_

"Yosuke!? What're you doing!?" Chie questioned.

"I gotta let it out before I piss my pants!" he replied.

"You're going here!? Oh, you have got to be kidding." she groaned.

"T-Turn around! I can't go if everyone's watching!" he demanded, "Argh, I can't do it! It's all your fault if my bladder bursts!"

"Like I care." Chie sneered.

**ZIIIP**

"Anyways, what's with this room?" Chie asked, "Check out these posters, their faces are all cut out." Chie gasped, "Somebody must really hate this person." she declared.

"Dude, this chair and rope, that kind of arrangement is never good." Yosuke gulped as Chie and I looked at the chair and rope, "It's tied in a noose, is this a scarf?" Yosuke asked.

"C'mon, let's go back to we came from, and look somewhere for an exit." Chie laughed nervously.

"Hey, I think I've seen that poster before." Yosuke stated as he stared at the poster.

"Who CARES!? Let's go! I am sick of this place!" Chie squeaked, "And I'm not feeling so good." she grumbled.

"Now that you mention it, me too." Yosuke moaned.

"It does feel heavy." I groaned.

_Is it due to this place's oppressive atmosphere?_

"Alright, let's go back. I'm seriously starting to feel sick." Yosuke offered, Chie and I nodded and we walked out of the room.

We arrived back where we landed.

"Whew, we finally made it back here." Chie sighed in relief, "Wait, what's that?" Chie questioned nervously.

Yosuke and I look and see some silhouette.

"Th-There's something over there!" Yosuke stuttered.

The silhouette walked towards us and it looked like a giant plush toy.

"What is this thing? A monkey? A bear?" Chie questioned.

"What in the world?" Yosuke stammered.

"Th-That's what I wanna know! Who are you guys?" the mysterious bear asked.

"It talked!" Chie gasped, "Uh, what are you!? You wanna fight!?" Chie growled.

The bear retreated in fear, "D-Don't yell at me like that." he whined.

_He seems to be cowering in fear. Maybe it would be better if I asked him nicely._

"What are you?" I asked calmly.  
"I'm a bear. Can't you tell? I live here by myself." he explained, "I've always lived here. It doesn't have a name."

"You live here?" Yosuke asked.

"If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side." the bear warned, "Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache."

"Huh? Throwing people in? What're you talking about?" Yosuke asked.

"I dunno who's doing it! I just want them to think before they go doing things like that!" the bear growled angrily.

"Hey, what's your problem? What gives YOU the right to yell at us like that!?" Chie snapped, "What ARE you!? Where are we!? What the heck's going on here!?" Chie asked frustratedly.

The bear cowered behind me in fear.

_What the...?_

"I already told you. Anyways, you should hurry back." he offered cowardly.

"What it comes down to is, you want us to get outta here, right? Well, so do we! We just don't know how, dammit!" Yosuke snapped.

"Urrgh! That's why I'm saying I'll let you out!" Teddie growled frustratedly.

"Like I keep saying, we don't know where the frickin' exit- Wait what?" Yosuke began to snap and then ask.

The bear tapped his foot on the floor and 3 TVs appeared.

"What the hell!?" Yosuke asked.

"Wh-Where did these TVs come from!?" Chie shrieked.

We walked towards them so we were facing them.

"Okay, now go, go, get outta here! I'm a busy bear!" the bear hurried and started to push us all into the TVs.

"What's going on now!? Whoa! Hey, what're you doing!?" Chie shouted.

"S-Stop pushing!" Yosuke screamed.

We landed out of the TV and back into Junes.

"Huh? Is this?" Chie wondered.

"Did we make it back?" Yosuke asked.

We got up from the floor, stood up and a store announcer came on.

"Attention, shoppers. Our daily limited-time sale will now begin at the side dish area on the first floor. Why not try the delicious, fresh produce Junes picked for you this morning as your side dish for dinner tonight? All ages are invited to take advantage of this incredible bargain!"

"Crap, it's already that late?" Yosuke questioned.

"Looks like we were in there for quite awhile." Chie assumed.

"That's right, now I remember where I saw that poster before. Look over there! That's the poster we saw!" Yosuke pointed out.

"What's up now?" Chie asked as she turned to look at the poster, "Hey, you're right, they're the same. I couldn't tell before without the face, but it was Misuzu Hiiragi. She's been all over the news lately. Something about her husband having an affair with that announcer lady who died the other day." she explained.

"Hey, so does that mean?" Yosuke began to ask, "That weird room we saw, could it be related to that Yamano lady's death?" he questioned, "Now that I think about it, there was that creepy noose hanging from the ceiling." he remembered, "Yarrgh, stop! No more! We gotta stop talking about this! I'm gonna wipe what happened today from my brain. I don't think my poor heart can take anymore." Yosuke declared.

"I'm feeling a chill too." Chie added, "Let's go home, I wanna lie down and rest." she offered and Yosuke and I could not take that offer any faster.

_**Evening**_

I walked in surprisingly to see Dojima and Nanako sitting at the table with instant ramen watching TV.

"Hey, welcome home." Dojima greeted.

I sat down, still feeling very sluggish.

"Uh-Hmm, well, I doubt you'd know, but have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?" Dojima asked me.

"Well, people feel sorry for her." I answered.

"Because of the media attention, right? I've heard that, too." he answered, "To be honest, we got a call from her family. She's disappeared. We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet." he answered.

_What the hell?! Did this happen while Chie, Yosuke and I were at Junes?!_

"Work just keeps piling up." Dojima sighed.

An announcer came on the news.

"And now, more on the case still casting a shadow over the foggy town of Inaba. Not long ago, television announcer Mayumi Yamano was found dead in the small town. Up until now, her whereabouts prior to her death had been unknown. But the police investigation has found that she had been staying in the region's famous Amagi Inn."

_That's the inn Yukiko's family runs.._

"She had apparently been staying there alone. Perhaps she was taking a vacation to recover from her ordeal?"

A commentator came on, "Oh yes, the Amagi Inn! Their hot springs are first-rate. The manager's teenage daughter also works there, and it's rumored that she'll take over the inn this spring. If that happens, she'll be one of the youngest managers on record! I should book another trip there!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Uh, I see. Moving along, it's time for the weather report." The announcer said uncomfortably, "The rain has begun to subside. From now until morning, heavy fog warnings will be in effect in the Inaba region. Visibility will be severely reduced, so please be careful if you plan on driving in the area." the announcer concluded.

_Just before the announcer was found dead, she was staying at the Amagi Inn, run by Yukiko's family. It seems the whereabouts of Saki, who discovered the announcer's body, are unknown. This is getting strange._

"Is the ramen ready now?" Nanako asked Dojima eagerly.

"Give it some more time." Dojima offered.

"Achoo!" I sneezed as I felt a slight chill.

"Are you sick? You're probably still adjusting to the new environment. Nanako, could you get him some cold medicine?" he asked.

Nanako nodded as she ran off to get some.

"You should get to bed after you take it." Dojima recommended.

After taking some medicine, I still felt heavy, I thought it would be the best if I went to bed early.

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_


	5. Chapter 4: Murder

**April 15, 2011**

**Forecast: Rainy**

_**Early Morning**_

I walked downstairs to see Nanako and Dojima getting ready for the day.

"Ah you're up. Well, I'm off." Dojima greeted and left.

"Dad has to go do something. He got a call, so he left." Nanako explained to me but she looked worried.

As I walked to school, I heard some girls gossiping.

"When I looked, I saw three police cars zooming by."

"You live by the police station, don't you? Did you hear anything?"

"I heard some yelling, but nothing more. Total disappointment."

"Geez, you need to pay more attention to stuff like that. How else are we supposed to get the juicy stories?"

_**WEEE WOOOO...**_

_Those are sirens! What the heck happened? Can't think about this now, I have to head to school._

_**Afternoon**_

They gathered us in the auditorium. I stood with Chie and Yosuke as I heard students gossiping.

"Hey, did you see it yesterday?"

"Of course not, what, is that rumor for real?"

"I dunno, but it seems like a lot of people have seen it."

Chie shut her phone, "Yukiko said she'd be here after lunch." she sighed as she turned to us, "I wonder why they're holding a school assembly all of a sudden. Hey, what's wrong, Yosuke?" Chie asked.

"Oh, it's nothing." he explained.

"Everyone, please settle down. The school assembly is about to begin. First, the Principal has something to say." Ms. Sofue ordered as she walked off the podium.

"I, regret to say that I have a terrible announcement for all of you." the Principal began, "One of our third-year students, Ms. Saki Konishi of Class 3, has passed away." he finished.

"Passed away?!" Chie asked.

Yosuke just grunted, looking down. I looked, feeling so sorry for him.

"Ms. Konishi was found deceased early this morning. The reasons behind her passing are currently under investigation by the police. If they ask you for your cooperation, I urge you as students of this school to provide only the facts." the Principal ordered.

The whole place was a mad house. There was so much chatter going on.

"All right, please quiet down. I have been assured by the faculty that there's been no evidence that bullying was involved in this incident. So mind what you say, not only to the police but to anyone who asks." the Prinicipal continued.

"Found dead? How could this happen?" Chie questioned.

Yosuke just grunted again.

I was walking with Chie back until we heard some girls gossiping.

"She died the same way as that announcer, right? That's so creepy."

"Well, last time, it was from an antenna, but this time she was hanging from a telephone pole. It's gotta be a serial murder case."

"Someone said the cause of death was some unknown poison."

"Unknown? C'mon, this isn't some sci-fi drama. Oh, by the way, did you hear? Someone saw a girl that looked like Saki on that Midnight Channel thingie. They said she totally looked like she was in pain. Isn't that scary?"

"Haha, sounds like someone had a nightmare. The media's been broadcasting their interviews with her nonstop, so maybe they just had Saki on the brain."

They continued to gossip as they walked off.

"Sheesh, it's easy to toss around theories if you're not personally involved." Chie growled.

Yosuke walked up to us, "Hey, did you guys check out the TV last night?" he asked.

"Yosuke! Not you too!" Chie moaned.

"Just listen for a sec! Something kept bothering me, so I watched it again, and I think the girl on the screen was Saki-senpai." he lisped sadly.

"There's no mistaking it. Senpai looked like she was writhing in pain." Yosuke remembered, choking up.

_Oh, Yosuke..._

"And then, she disappeared from the screen." he explained.

"What?" Chie asked.

"You heard Senpai's body was found in a similar situation as that announcer's, right? Well, remember that guy you told us about? How he was all excited that his soul mate was the announcer? Maybe, just maybe, but Ms. Yamano might've been on that Midnight Channel before she died, too." he speculated.

"What's that supposed to mean? Hold on, are you saying people who appear on that TV die?" Chie asked.

"I can't say for sure. But something tells me, I just can't dismiss it as a coincidence." he explained.

Chie was speechless.

"Plus, remember what that bear thing said? How that place was dangerous, and we should leave before the fog clears? It also said that someone's been throwing people in there. And that room with the posters on the wall, it has to have something to do with the announcer's death. I mean, don't you think there's some kind of connection there? Couldn't that world in the TV have something to do with Senpai and the announcer's death!?" he asked, "Well? What do you think?" he asked me.

_Saki's death has gone to his head, but maybe he has a point?_

"That's preposterous." I answered while my head spun of too much thinking.

"Then you think it's all a coincidence? If there is a connection, then it's a good bet that the two of them went inside that world. That would explain the posters in that room. Which means, if we look around, we might find a place that has something to do with Senpai, too." he explained.

"Yosuke, don't tell me.." Chie sighed worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm thinking about going in again. I want to find out for myself." he answered honestly.

"Don't do this. You should just let the police handle this and.." Chie pled before being cut off by Yosuke.

"You think we can rely on the police!? They haven't made any progress on the announcer's case. Besides, even if we told them about the world inside the TV, there's no way they're gonna believe us! If I'm completely off-base with this, that's fine. It's just... I need to know why Senpai had to die like this." Yosuke whimpered.

"Oh, Yosuke." Chie whispered.

"After what I've seen and what I've put together, there's no way I can ignore it now." he said as he turned to me, "Sorry, but you're the only person who can help me. I'm gonna go get ready. I'll be waiting for you at Junes." and with that, he took off.

_Looks like I'm taking him to the TV world again._

"I can kinda understand how he feels. But we can't be sure we'll be able to get out safely again." Chie hypothesized, "What should we do?" she asked.

"You decide." I suggested.

"W-Wha? Huh? M-Me? I... uh..." she stammered as she thought, "Uh, anyways, let's go to Junes. We can't leave Yosuke alone." Chie decided as we headed for Junes.

_**After School**_

Chie and I arrived at Junes and headed up to the electronics department. We saw Yosuke waiting in front of the TV with a rope and a golf club.

"You guys came!" he cheered.

"We came to stop you, idiot!" Chie growled, "C'mon, you really shouldn't do this. It's too dangerous." she pleaded.

"I know, but we were able to come back once, right? If we go in from the same location, maybe we'll meet that bear again." Yosuke answered.

"'Maybe' isn't good enough!" Chie snapped.

"Look, I can't just act like everyone else and pretend this has nothing to do with me." Yosuke declared.

"That's true, but.." Chie mumbled.

"What about you? Could you just walk away?" Yosuke asked me.

"I'm worried about Chie. There's no telling what may happen over there." I explained worriedly. **(Understanding increased)**

"Yeah, it'll just be you and me." Yosuke revealed, "Don't worry, I'm not going in without a plan, Chie, I'm leaving you in charge of this." and he held up the rope to Chie.

"Huh? What's that? A rope?" Chie asked as she took it from Yosuke.

"We'll go in with this tied to me, so I want you to hold on to this and wait here." Yosuke planned.

"What? Then, is this a lifeline? C'mon, wait a sec.." Chie pled but Yosuke didn't listen.

"Here, Yukari.. This is for you." Yosuke said as he handed me a golf club and some medicine, "I thought it might be better than going in empty-handed." he smiled, "Alright, let's go. There's no use wasting any more time. Chie, whatever you do, don't let go of the rope!" Yosuke and I nodded as I walked towards the TV.

"Hey! I said wait!" Chie stammered but Yosuke and I had already were inside the TV.

_**Meanwhile, outside the TV**_

Chie was standing there, holding the rope. She began to pull the rope and then the rope snapped!

"See? I knew this wasn't gonna work! Now what?" Chie cried as she fell to her knees.

_**Back inside the TV**_

Yosuke and I landed with a hard thud on the hard floor.

"Owww..." he groaned as we got up and looked around, "Is this? Look, this is the same place as last time! So they are connected from place to place!" he observed.

"Y-You guys, why'd you come back?" we heard the mysterious bear stammer as he walked up to us, "I get it! You're the ones behind this!" he shouted angrily.

"You're that thing from last time! Wait, what the hell did you just say?" he asked.

"Lately, I can tell someone's been throwing people in here. It's making this world more and more messed up. This is the second time you guys came here, and I don't think anyone forced you in. That means you're the most suspicious! You guys must be the ones throwing the people in here, raaawr!" he growled at me and Yosuke.

"Hell no!" I shouted.

"What're you talking about, 'throwing people in'!? If someone was thrown in here and they couldn't get out, they might die! Who would do such a-" Yosuke shouted and then stopped, "Wait a sec, all this talk about someone throwing people in here. Does he mean Senpai and the announcer? Did that 'someone' throw those two in here? H-Hey, what do you think?" he asked.

"That must be it." I answered.

"Yeah, I agree." he nodded, "Let's assume he's telling the truth, could it be that someone's throwing people in here, intending to kill them? If that's the case.." he speculated.

"What're you guys mumbling about? Why'd you come here, anyways!? It's a one-way door! You can't get out once you're in! Remember? How I had to let you guys out?" the bear grumbled frustratedly.

"Yeah, whatever. We don't need your help this time! See, this time we have a lifeli-" Yosuke began to answer proudly until he realized something. The damn rope was cut! "Whaaat!?" he shouted, "H-Hey! You better let us out once we're done investigating here!" Yosuke demanded.

"Grr! I'm the one who wants to investigate! I've lived here for a long time, but it's never been noisy like this till now. Do you have proof!? Prove to me you're not throwing people in here!" the bear growled.

"Shut up." I answered angrily. This bear was getting on my god damn nerves.

"See! So it is you guys!" the bear sang. _You've gotta be kidding me._

"For the last time, it's not us, so we've got nothing to prove to you! Hey, you better answers our questions. This isn't like last time, when we came by accident. We're dead serious! Listen up, 'cause people have died in our world. Every time the fog appears, a dead body shows up with it. It has to be related to this place somehow! If you know something, tell us!" Yosuke answered angrily.

"A dead body? Whenever the fog appears? I know that if it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. It's really dangerous when the fog lifts. That's when the Shadows get violent." the bear answered.

"Shadows?" I questioned as I looked at Yosuke who was just as confused as I was.

"Aah, I get it." Teddie said suspiciously.

"Huh? If you get it, then explain it to us, dammit! If it's foggy on our side, it isn't in here? Shadows get violent?" Yosuke asked.

"That's why I said to hurry back! It's dangerous when that happens! Okay, no more questions. I know you guys did it! You better stop right now!" the bear demanded.

"I've told you and told you, we're not the ones doing it! I've about had it with you, why the hell won't you listen to what we're saying!?" Yosuke shouted angrily.

"I-I'm just saying, you might be the culprits. I'm just making sure." the bear speculated quietly.

"What? Man, this bear's driving me nuts. What is this place, anyways? It looks like a TV studio. Is something being filmed here?" Yosuke asked.

"Weird show? Filmed? What does that mean?" the bear asked.

"Uh, I'm asking if someone's been filming the people that get thrown in here." Yosuke explained.

"Huh? I don't get it. This world has always been like this. No one has ever done that filming thing here." the bear answered.

"Always been like this?" I asked.

"Only me and Shadows are here! I told you before!" the bear answered.

"Ugh, we don't know what these Shadow things are! Or what you are either, for that matter! You keep telling us to prove our innocence, but you're the most suspicious thing here! Maybe you're the real culprit! And what's with that stupid costume!? I'd say it's time you showed your face!" Yosuke yelled and he began to pull the head off the head of the bear's costume. He finally pulled it off but there was nothing in there!

"Whoa! Wh-What the hell are you? I-It's empty inside." he gasped.

The bear put his head back on like nothing happened, "Me? The culprit? I wouldn't do such a thing. I just live here. I just want to live here peacefully." the bear answered as Yosuke grunted. "Okay, I'll believe that you guys aren't the culprits, but I want you to find the real guy who did all this. You have to stop him. Promise me, or else." he demanded as Yosuke and I sulked on the next thing he was going to say, "I'm not gonna let you guys outta here." the bear threatned.

"Y-You little!" Yosuke growled.

"This can't keep going on! My home here will be a complete mess! And then, and then, I... waaah!" the bear started wailing.

"Wh-What're you crying for all of a sudden? Geez, this thing's really weirding me out." Yosuke grunted.

_This bear is asking us to find the culprit behind this. Someone on the outside has been throwing people into this world.. Because the culprit isn't us, he wants us to find the real culprit, and he seems serious about this.._

"Hey, what should we do?" Yosuke sighed.

I remembered the words of the old man who was Igor.

"It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you." Igor's voice rang in my head. _Could this be the mystery that will be thrust upon me? What was the "contract" Igor spoke of? Could finding this culprit and solving the case be part of that promise? Either way, I can't leave the TV world on my own, looks like there's no other option._

"You're the only ones I can ask. Will you promise me?" the bear asked.

"I promise." I smiled.

"Th-Thank you!" the bear smiled cheerfully.

"Damn bear, practically holding a gun to our heads. But it's true that we came here to figure things out. So far, we're completely in the dark." Yosuke groaned, "Look for the culprit, huh? Bring it on! You've got my word, too." Yosuke fired up, "Might as well introduce ourselves, I'm Yosuke Hanamura, and this is my buddy, Yukari Narukami. You got a name?" Yosuke asked.

"Teddie." the bear said.

"Figures." Yosuke groaned, "But how are we supposed to find the culprit in the first place?" Yosuke questioned.

"I dunno. Oh, but I know where the last person came in." Teddie answered.

"The last person? You mean Saki-senpai!?" Yosuke asked.

"I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time. I dunno the name. I'll take you there. You might find clues." Teddie answered, "Oh, one thing first. You two should put these on." Teddie offered and gave Yosuke and me a pair of glasses.

"What're these glasses for?" Yosuke asked as we put on the glasses. Right away, our vision instantly became clearer.

"Whoa!" Yosuke marveled, "The difference is like night and day. With these on, it's like the fog doesn't exist."

"They'll help you walk through the fog. Well, I've been here for a long time. So you can rely on me! Uh, but I can show you where the place is. You guys will have to defend yourselves." Teddie ordered.

"What happened to relying on you!? Th-There better not be any monsters! You understand!? We brought weapons, but I mean, they're more for show! We just got here! If it's so dangerous, why don't you do something instead of relying on us!?" Yosuke grumbled.

"Uh uh, no way. I've got no muscles." Teddie explained., "Oh, oh! I'll give you guys moral support from a safe distance! How's that sound?"

_Can he not really fight?_

I walked up to Teddie and lightly touch him and he fell over like on his back and started rolling around.

"N-Noooo!" Teddie whined.

"Is this thing for real!? Ugh, this is so lame. We swore to find the culprit, and this is all the backup we get?" Yosuke groaned.

"Oh yeah, can I ask you something? Who's this Saki-senpai person? Someone you know?" Teddie asked.

Yosuke grunted, "That doesn't matter right now." he muttered, "Anyways, at least now we know Senpai might have been thrown in here. Maybe we can find more information, too. Let's get moving, Yukari." Yosuke said as we started to walk off.

"W-Waaaait!" Teddie screeched.

Teddie had led us somewhere in this world that looked almost like Inaba.

"What is this place? It looks just like the shopping district. What's going on here!?" Yosuke questioned.

"Some weird places have appeared here recently. Things are getting so tangled, I dunno what to do." Teddie sighed.

"Uh, by the way, why are you standing so far from us?" Yosuke asked Teddie suspiciously, "You better not be planning to high-tail it if something does come up."

"Of course not! I mean, uh, I can't stand too close, you know. I'd get in your way." Teddie shifted nervously.

"Man, they really went all out on this. But out of all the places in town, why'd they replicate this one?" Yosuke asked.

"How should I know? This is reality for the one who's here." Teddie explained.

"As usual, nothing you say makes any sense. But if this is our shopping district, we're not far from Saki-senpai's." Yosuke stated as we took off looking for the liquor store.

We arrived in front of a duplication of a liquor store.

"I knew it! This is the liquor store that Senpai's parents run. Does this mean Senpai disappeared here? What could've happened?" Yosuke pondered as he headed towards the liquor store.

"W-Wait a second. Th-They're here!" Teddie panicked.

"What?"

"Shadows, I had a feeling they were going to attack!" Teddie warned.

"Huh?" Yosuke asked but it was too late.

The red and black portal had two black things with blue masks coming out.

"Ohh!" Yosuke screamed and fell back. The shadows began creeping up to us and then they transformed into pink and black oval shaped shadows. I was scared stiff until the voices started ringing in my head again. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"I am thou, and thou art I. The time has come, open thy eyes and call forth what is within!"

I opened my eyes and found the card that was in my dream from a few days ago in my hand. It flashed a bright white light, and then I realized what I had to do.

"Per... son... a..." I mumbled. My card shined and I squeezed it.

"ARRRGH!" I shouted and there was a Persona behind me.

I was ready to fight these things.

"Stay calm and listen. Some Shadows have weaknesses. I can tell this one has a weakness too! If you can pinpoint that weakness and take advantage of it, the battle will be a lot easier! Try stuff out and see what works!" Teddie advised.

I grabbed my card, "Izanagi!" I shouted, Izanagi came out and used electricity to attack the demon and sunk down.

"I'll keep track of what attacks have what effects on enemies!" Teddie said.

"Persona!" I shouted, Izanagi electrified the other enemy. I ran up to one and whacked it with my golf club. It disappeared into black dust. However, the one that sunk down had gotten up and attacked me but I hit it with my golf club and it disintegrated.

I had felt a surge of energy inside after the recent battle. "You did it, Sensei!" Teddie cheered as I saw my hit and spirit points have increased and I leveled up!

_I faced my other self and I have obtained the facade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona Izanagi!_

"Whoa, wh-what was that!? Did I hear you say 'Persona'!? What was it- I mean, what did you do!? Hey, you think I can do it too?" Yosuke marveled at me.

"Calm down, Yosuke. You're troubling Sensei!" Teddie said.

"S-Sensei?" Yosuke snickered.

"Gosh almighty! You're amazing, Sensei! I am one impressed bear! I can't believe you were hiding such an amazing power! No wonder the Shadows were scared of you! Are you the one who's able to bring people into this world?" he gasped and I nodded, "Hah! That's what I thought! This is really something. Don't you think so, Yosuke?" he asked Yosuke.

"Dude, you call her Sensei and then don't show me any respect!?" he pushed Teddie angrily.

"Sorry." Teddie apologized.

"Well, your support wasn't bad, though. I gotta give you some credit for that." Yosuke complimented Teddie.

"Huh? Really?" Teddie chuckled in embarrassment.

"All right, you two keep it up, and I think we'll be find from here on out. Now, let's get back to the investigation!" he declared cheerfully.

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_


	6. Chapter 5: Shadow Yosuke

Yosuke, Teddie and I stood outside the liquor store. "Man, I wonder what could have happened to Senpai here." Yosuke said curiously.

Suddenly, we jumped and looked around. Voices begin to echo from somewhere.

_What the hell?_

"I wish Junes would go under..."

"It's all because of that store..."

"Wh-What the...?" Yosuke stuttered oddly.

"Oh, I heard that Konishi-san's daughter is working there."  
"Oh my, how could she, with her family's business suffering like it is?"

"I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes."

"S-Stop it." Yosuke hissed hesitantly.

"That poor father, to have his own daughter working for the enemy."

"What a troublesome child."

"Hey, hey, Ted! You said that this place is the reality for those that are here, right!? So, does that mean this was Senpai's reality when she wandered in here?" Yosuke asked loudly. "I only know about what's over here." Teddie answered. "Fine; whatever's going on here, we'll find out ourselves!" Yosuke said determined. Yosuke, Teddie and I ran inside the liquor store.

The inside looked like a liquor store and it was very cramped. Suddenly, the voices started up again. "Dammit, not again." Yosuke cursed. We began to hear a man yelling.

"Saki, how many times do I have to tell you!?"

"I-Is this, Senpai's dad?" Yosuke asked. "It might be." I answered nervously.

"You know what the neighbors say about you, right!? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work THERE, of all places!"

"I... I can't believe this. She seemed like she had fun at work. She never said anything like this to me. You're telling me THIS was how Senpai really saw things!?" Yosuke shouted.

_Yosuke..._

He looked and saw a table with a bunch of stuff on it. We ran up to it and looked for clues. There was photos spread out on the table.

"These photos, hey, is this?" Yosuke asked as he picked up a picture, "It's the photo we took the other day with the other part-timers at Junes! Wh-Why's it cut up like this?" he stammered. I took a look at the photo. The scrap shows Saki smiling with Yosuke standing next to her.

"I never had the chance to say it.." we heard Saki's voice say.

"Is that Senpai's voice?!" Yosuke asked loudly.

"I always wanted to tell Hana-chan..."

"Huh? Me?" Yosuke asked.

"...that he was a real pain in the ass!"

_WHAT!?_

"I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son, that's all. But he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic, what a dip!"

"P-Pain in the ass?" Yosuke asked, looking sad.

"Who cares about Junes, anyway? Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, the neighbors talk behind my back, I wish everything would just disappear."

"I-It's a lie. This can't be." Yosuke croaked, "Senpai's not like that!" he shouted.

"It's so sad. I feel so sorry for myself. Boo hoo!" someone sniffled mockingly that sounded like Yosuke, but different.

Yosuke and I turned around quickly to see someone that looked exactly like Yosuke but had a blue aura around him.

"Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass." the other Yosuke chuckled judgementally.

Teddie came by and looked around, "Huh? Two Yosukes?" he asked.

"Who are you?! I-I wouldn't think that." Yosuke denied.

"Yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself? Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You're sick of everything, especially living out in the sticks!" the other Yosuke laughed mockingly.

"What're you saying? That's not true, I-" Yosuke stuttered.

"You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky 'cause you're so terrified of being alone. And what's this about checking out this world for Saki-senpai's sake? Hah! I know the real reason you came snooping." the other Yosuke laughed.

"Stop it!" Yosuke started shaking his head in denial.

"Why do panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit! Or maybe, I DO know everything you're thinking! Why's that? Because I AM you! You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time! What else is there to do out in this shithole? A world inside the TV-now that's exciting! You didn't have a single other reason for coming here, did you!?" the other Yosuke teased.

"That's not true, stop, stop it..." Yosuke stammered.

"You're just trying to act like a big shot. If all went well, hey, maybe you could even be a hero! And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!" the other Yosuke commented.

"That's not true! What are you!? Who are you!?" Yosuke objected angrily.

"I already told ya. I'm you, your shadow, there's nothing I don't know about you!" Yosuke chuckled.

"Screw that! I don't know you! You can't be me, you son of a bitch!" Yosuke screamed angrily.

Suddenly, other Yosuke started cackling, "That's right! Say it again!" he commanded.

"You're not me! You're nothing like me!" Yosuke shouted hesitantly.

"Hm, yeah, that's right. I am me now! I'm not you anymore, see?" the other Yosuke said before he flashed and transformed into some kind of Shadow.

Yosuke fell to the floor.

"YOSUKE!" I shouted and I looked. The shadow was HUGE! Teddie and I just watched in awe. "Teddie, I need to go to battle!" I declared. "Right!" Teddie replied as I took out my golf club.

The shadow was some kind of frog thing. I wondered how I was going to defeat it.

"I am a shadow, the true self. I'll crush everything that bores me. Starting with you!" Shadow Yosuke shouted. All of a sudden, he uses some wind attack that knocked me out.

"Aaah!" I shouted as I fell over.

Shadow Yosuke saw that I knocked down and charged his power up.

"How long can you survive this?" the shadow asked mockingly.

"This one's much stronger than the last type! Be careful! Whenever you feel threatned, just defend yourself!" Teddie warned.

I got up, "Persona!" I shouted as I squeezed my Persona card and Izanagi electrified Shadow Yosuke. It seemed very effective as Shadow Yosuke fell.

_Now's my chance._

Izanagi went on to use more lightning attacks until Shadow Yosuke guarded himself.

_Wait..._

"It's guarding its weak point!" Teddie shouted. I guarded myself too.

"Heh, that's it? Boring!" Shadow Yosuke shouted.

I grunted, "ZIO!" I shouted as I destroyed Shadow Yosuke.

**(Level up!)**

"Yosuke!" I shouted as he got up and Teddie and I ran to him.

"I... I..." Yosuke stammered.

"Yosuke, are you okay!?" Teddie asked.

"Y-Yeah, what.. happened?" Yosuke asked exhaustively.

Teddie looked towards Shadow Yosuke. When Yosuke turned to Shadow Yosuke, Shadow Yosuke just breathed.

"You, you're not me.." Yosuke growled.

"That thing came from you, Yosuke. You have to admit it, or it'll go berserk again." Teddie frowned.

_He seems reluctant to accept it.._

"You're still yourself." I reassured Yosuke.

He turned to me, "Myself. Dammit, it hurts to face yourself." he sighed, "I knew it wasn't lying, but I was so ashamed that I didn't want to admit it. You're me, and I'm you. When you get down to it, all of this is me." Yosuke declared and Shadow Yosuke nodded.

All of a sudden, Shadow Yosuke turned into a Persona and Yosuke was given the Persona, Jiraiya.

"This is my Persona." he marveled until he knelt down.

"Yosuke?!" I wondered.

"When we heard Senpai's voice, I wonder if that was something Senpai had been keeping deep down inside. Haha, 'he was a real pain in the ass,' huh? What a way to find out, geez, this is so embarrassing." he sighed.

I walked up to him, "I'm so sorry." I whispered.

"If you weren't here, I don't know what woulda happened. Thanks, Yukari." he thanked.

"No problem, Yosuke. You're my friend now, I got your back." I assured as I helped him up.

"Hey, Teddie. Could Senpai have been attacked by her other self here? Like how it just happened to me?"

"I think so. The Shadows here were originally born from humans. Sometimes the fog clears, then they all go berserk, and you saw what happens next. A strong-willed Shadows draws others to it, and the big mass of Shadows kills the host." Teddie concluded.

"So that's why people die when it gets foggy in our world." he sighed.

"Yosuke's pretty worn out. This world isn't made for humans. It's not comfortable for you here. I don't hear any more voices. I think we're done with this place. Let's go back." Teddie offered.

Yosuke, Teddie and I headed back to the entrance. When we arrived back, Yosuke still had some questions for Teddie.

"Hey, Teddie. You said that this place is reality for people who enter, right? So that shopping district, and the weird room we saw before. Did they exist because the ones who died entered this world, and it became their reality? I guess what I'm trying to ask is, did those places form because of the people who entered this world?" Yosuke questioned.

"I don't know, it's never happened before, but that's probably where they were when the Shadows attacked them." Teddie answered.

"This world killed them?" I asked.

"The fog does lift here sometimes. The shadows get really violent then. I always get so scared. I have to hide when it happens. I sensed people here twice before, but both of them disappeared after the fog lifted." Teddie answered.

"Senpai and that Yamano lady were thrown in here, and since they couldn't get out, they wandered around. After a while, that Shadow thing came out of them. The fog cleared, it went berserk, and it ended up killing them. Does that sound right? So if I'd been here until the fog cleared, I woulda been in much deeper trouble?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. You were lucky. Sensei and me were here with you." Teddie answered.

"Dammit! Senpai and that announcer, they were stuck here all alone. No one could save them." Yosuke cursed.

"Yosuke.." Teddie sighed, "They disappeared when the fog lifted, but they were safe before that. No Shadows attacked them. They attacked us, though. Maybe they're keeping a close eye on us. They might see people who investigate this place as enemies. It'll be dangerous, but we might be able to fight them! We might save people!" Teddie stated.

"Are you saying, if anyone else gets thrown in here, we can save them before they disappear!? Like how you guys just saved me!?" Yosuke asked.

"That seems to be the case." I answered.

"Anyways, we need to catch the one who's throwing people in here and make him stop. Yeah, I'm finally starting to understand what's going on." Yosuke noted.

"Um, hey, can I ask something too?" Teddie asked, "If Shadows are born from humans, what was Teddie born from?" Teddie asked.

"You don't even know where you came from!? How should we know?" Yosuke piped.

"I know some things. Mostly about this world, but I don't know anything about myself. To be honest, I never thought about it until now." Teddie groaned.

"Are you serious? No wonder we couldn't get a straight answer out of you." Yosuke joked.

"Will you guys, come back here?" Teddie asked.

"Of course." I smiled.

"R-Really?" Teddie asked, speechless.

"Well, you're the one who said you weren't letting us out unless we do." Yosuke smiled.

"Oh! Th-That's right! Okay, I'll let you out, but there's one thing. I'll be waiting for you guys here. You need to come in from the same place every time, so we can meet up." Teddie noted.

"From the same place?" I questioned.

"You COULD come in from somewhere else, but then you won't end up here. You might show up somewhere I couldn't get to you, then you'd be dooooomed. Got it!?" he proclaimed dramatically.

"Well, pretty much. Alright, can you show us the way out?" Yosuke asked.

"Roger that! One exit comin' right up!" Teddie said as he tapped his foot and the set of TV's appear.

"Cool, first we need to make sure there aren't any employees milling around out there." Yosuke said but Teddie did not listen and started pushing us inside the TV's.

"Okay! Go go go! Squiiiish!" Teddie hissed as he shoved Yosuke and me into the TVs.

"Argh! Hey! Stop squeezing, you little- Whoa!" Yosuke struggled.

Yosuke and I landed back in Junes in front of Chie.

"Ah! Y-You guys came baack!" Chie weeped.

"Huh? Chie? Whoa, what's with that face?" Yosuke asked and then Chie threw the rope at Yosuke's face, "Ow!"

"The nerve of you guys! You are such morons! I can't believe this! You guys suck! The rope got cut off ad I had no idea what to do, I was so worried, I mean scared stiff, dammit! I hate you both!" Chie cried before running off.

"Chie!" I shouted but it was already too late.

"I... I think that might've kinda sorta been our fault. Maybe we did go a little too far, let's apologize to her tomorrow. I'm completely wiped out, I'm gonna go home, soak in the shower for a while, and get some sleep. I think I'm gonna sleep well tonight." he stated and I smiled.

_Oh, Yosuke..._

"Well, see you in the morning!" he laughed.

"See ya!" I waved.

I was walking near the flood plain on the way home and I see Yukiko, and I decided to sit with her.

"Oh, are you surprised to see me dressed this way? My parents sent me out on an errand." Yukiko muttered.

She seemed very uneasy, "Um, are you getting used to your new town and school?" she asked me.

"Somewhat." I answered.

"I'm glad to hear that. It must be difficult, moving to a place you know nothing about. I've never been out of Inaba, so I wouldn't know what it's like to transfer to a new school. Oh, are you getting along with Chie? I mean, I always leave early, so... um..." Yukiko asked.

"She's a real handful." I laughed.

"I see, she's always full of energy. Chie's very supportive, you know. It's always her who gives me the little extra push I need. We had homeroom together last year too, and I still remember how we'd cut class sometimes." she explained and then she remembered something, "Oh, I should get going. I need to make tomorrow's arrangements with our head chef. Our inn can't function without me right now." she said as she got up.

"Um, I'll see you at school, then." she said.

"See you!" I nodded.

_**Evening**_

I come home to just Nanako and I sat down while watching the news with Nanako.

"Dad's late." Nanako sighed as an announcer came on.

"Our next story is an update in our ongoing report on the bizarre murders occurring in Inaba. At around 7:00 A.M., local high school student Saki Konishi was found dead in Inaba's residential area. Since the body was positioned similarly to the last victim, and since Ms. Konishi was the one who discovered that body, police are proceeding under the assumption that this may be a serial murder case related to the death of Mayumi Yamano. The coroner's report has established Ms. Konishi's time of death at around 1:00 A.M. last night. The body went unnoticed until this morning as a result of the heavy fog blanketing the area."

"Another incident, Dad won't be coming home tonight." Nanako frowned.

"It can't be helped." I said.

"Yeah. That's how it goes. He's a detective so he's really busy." she sighed.

_She's very reliable for someone of her age._

A narrator suddenly came on the TV.

"-Amagi Inn, located upstream of Samegawa River, is the town's oldest historical landmark. Vacationers are known to travel surprising distances in order to visit its open-air, radium-rich hot springs."

A reporter appeared.

"After the incident with Ms. Yamano, the manager has stepped aside, leaving her daughter Yukiko to fill her shoes."

_Yukiko?_

Yukiko appeared on TV wearing the same kimono I saw her wearing today.

"In other words, she's a manager who's still in high school. Now that has a nice ring to it. Let's see if we can interview her, excuse me!" the reporter called out.

"Hm? Um, are you speaking to me?" Yukiko asked, speechless.

"We've heard that you're the new manager. Is it true you're still in high school?" the reporter questioned enthusiastically.

"Oh, well, I'm only filling in temporarily." Yukiko answered calmly.

"Someday, though, that aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono. You must have a lot of male visitors." the reporter complimented creepily.

"Huh? No, um.." Yukiko stuttered, embarrassed.

The reporter continued to ramble further off the subject.

"This is boring." Nanako groaned as she got up, "Oh, I need to do the dishes." she said,

"I'll help out." I offered.

After doing housework, I saw it was still raining.

_Maybe someone will appear on the midnight channel._

I decided to go up to my room.

_Will something appear on TV?_

I walked over to my TV with the weather news playing.

"In other Inaba-related news, meteorologists are predicting heavy fog throughout the year. The region has seen an abnormal amount of fog over the past few years, and the cause of the climate change is unknown. Whatever the reason, residents of the Inaba area should be extra careful. Our broadcast tonight was extended to bring you up-to-date news on the incident in Inaba. The time is now midnight."

I turned off my TV and almost right away, an image appeared on my screen. It looked to be the silhouette of a woman wearing a kimono.

_If I touched the TV screen, would I be able to touch the person on screen?_

I pushed my hand against the TV only to have my hand sucked in and the image disappeared.

_I should speak to Yosuke and Chie about this tomorrow._

I decided to go to bed for tonight.

_**Vroom... Vroom...**_

I woke up to see I was inside the limo where Igor and Margaret were sitting.

_This..._

"Welcome. Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world. I have summoned you within your dreams."

_I have been summoned back to the Velvet Room?_

"And so we meet again." Igor said.

"This is a space that only those who have, in one way or another, entered into a contract may enter. In your daily life, you subconsciously heard the call to awaken, and you chose to follow the destiny of your inner voice; thereby enacting your glorious awakening to your power." Margaret explained.

"Hold on to this." Igor said as a blue key for this room floated into my hands.

"From this night forth, you are our guest in this Velvet Room. Your destiny will require you to hone your power, and for that, you will inevitably require our help. There is but one price for this assistance, you must abide by your contract and assume responsibility for all decisions you may make." Igor said.

"I understand." I answered.

"Very well. The Persona you have acquired, it is a side of you that shows itself when you face the world around you. Perhaps you can think of it as, a facade of determination you wear to face various difficulties in life. Your Persona ability, however, is that of the wild card, compared to that of others; it is very special. It is like the number zero, empty, yet holding infinite potential within itself." Igor explained.

"Special?" I asked.

"The Persona ability is the power to control one's own heart and the heart is strengthened through bonds. As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop. The power of these Social Links is what will determine your Persona's abilities." Igor said.

"Control one's heart?" I questioned.

"Social Links are necessary for more than strengthening your Persona. At times, they will help light the way to the truth you are searching for." Margaret said.

"Where will your awakened power of the wild card take you? I look forward to traveling the road of your destiny together. 'Til we meet again." Igor chuckled.

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_


End file.
